Packing for a week of hiking

Contents

This is a sample list of things you might take on a week-long trip hiking in a wilderness area. Even more than with other kinds of travel, packing for this kind of trip requires compromises between keeping weight down and making sure you bring everything you'll need, because you have to carry it all with you. Depending on where you're going and the time of year, some of the items may not be useful to you, and there are inevitably additional items you'll want to bring along, but this should give you a general idea of what you'll want to pack. For information and advice about gear selection, see Wilderness backpacking and Cold weather.

For some of the equipment it is enough if one or two persons in the party have them. This is true even for some of the clothes: some spares are needed mostly when something breaks or gets drenched, which may be unlikely to happen for all the party.

2 long-sleeve shirts (either for warmth or for protection against the sun)

2 t-shirts, leave out if cold and you have adequate other underwear or you have other clothing for hot weather

2 pair of trousers/pants (at least one pair suitable weight for current weather, the other pair can double as raingear or be adequately warm only with heavy underwear); denim (blue jeans) can be used for shorter hikes in dry conditions, but are generally not useful for hiking as they are difficult to get dry

2 pair of underpants (long legs if cold)

2 pair of wool or hiking socks (at least another 2 pairs of socks if used in layers)

hiking boots, insoles; rubber boots are adequate in some terrain, normal walking or sports shoes in some, wrong kind of footwear on a long hike will ruin it, never rely on new boots or shoes, as they and your feet have to be acquainted to each other

plastic bags for protecting socks when the boots have been drenched – and for preventing drenching if fording in waters where you need the boots

sandals or other light footwear (for wearing when not hiking, possibly also for fording)

waterproof windbreaker, or at least a jacket; winter coat if temperatures much below freezing

raingear – ponchos can drape over your pack and save you the expense of a waterproof packcover, but they are problematic if windy, and you may still need something to protect your legs from wet ground vegetation; leave out if temperature much below freezing

gloves and mittens according to weather, with enough spares (needed in windy and wet weather even at quite warm temperatures)

scarf

a hat or other headwear (to shade your face or trap heat – or to keep you warm)

sunglasses

sweater, at least for cold evenings, also for breaks in colder weather, worn most of the time if really cold (which means you need something more for the breaks and evenings)